Armed Soldiers: The Best Line of Defense are Left Vulnerable

Within 24 hours prior to the shooting at Fort Hood, the FBI was searching for a recent Army recruit planning a Fort Hood-inspired jihad against U.S. soldiers.

And while the second shooting at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, on April 2nd may prove not to be an act of terrorism, Al Qaeda and its affiliates remain active in searching out U.S. military bases to target.

The mufti, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Rubaish also indicated in an article in Al Qaeda’s Inspire magazine, that Americans are either retreating or preparing to retreat as the “mujahideen” or holy warriors grow stronger daily. “While Obama thinks he is killing Al Qaeda,” the mufti suggests the “whole Ummah” or Muslim world, will wage jihad against the the U.S.

Two out of three, lone wolf attackers who have attempted to stage a mass shooting at Ft. Hood in the last five years, have been successful.

Hoping to murder as many U.S. soldiers as possible, in 2009 U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, calling himself a “mujahedeen” shot 43, killing 12 military personnel, one civilian, and injuring more than 30 others. Obama called the Islamic terrorist attack, “workplace violence.”

Finally, Hasan was sentenced to death in August 2013; he is currently on death row at a military correctional facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Then on July 27, 2011, another plot to carry out a mass shooting near Fort Hood was foiled. U.S. Army Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo was arrested due to the efforts of an alert employee at a gun store. Abdo had allegedly bought materials to make improvised explosive devices. Exercising situational awareness, the store employee thought Abdo’s demeanor was odd and called the police.

And on April 02, 2014, another mass shooter, identified as Ivan Lopez, has now murdered and wounded many more American soldiers – people who have committed their lives to making the United States secure for every American.

Nor do we know if Ivan is a convert to Islam with a Muslim name as well? The government is not releasing any additional information on the killer.

Despite this, President Obama, as Commander-in-Chief, is ultimately responsible. His administration has been waging a war on the military since they took office. Not allowing soldiers, America’s best line of defense, to defend themselves on U.S. military bases, is criminal.

While the Army received new security policies after 2009, instigating nationwide active shooter response team training, soldiers on U.S. bases remain unable to defend themselves and vulnerable to attack. It needs to be noted that several minutes can pass before a “response team” is in place on a sprawling American military base.

Soldiers are trained to handle a combat situation. Strategic Solutions recommends that free fire zones or “death zones,” on U.S. military bases end immediately.

Military facilities should require greater force protection measures including the right of soldiers to carry a side arm. Consider: As an active shooter at Fort Hood carried out an attack, the very people trained to take out an armed attacker, were disarmed.